The story

Ul·u·late /ˈəlyəˌlāt, ˈyo͞o(l)yəˌlāt/
Verb, howl or wail as an expression of strong emotion, typically grief.

This sample pack focuses on a personified version of the clarinet. While curating sounds to include in this library, we took the clarinet’s emotive versatility and manipulated it to simulate something quasi-human. Three sounds evolved from this vocalized manipulation: cries, growls, and squeaks. Technical expectations were rejected while creating these sounds, and instead, distortion and anomalies were prioritized. We leaned into the unexpected and the uncomfortable. This distortion came to fruition from bending each pitch by drastically changing the embouchure (cries), overblowing to reach an overtone (squeak), and using a flutter tongue technique (growl).

Ululation Clarinet comes with:

Separate patches for longs, shorts, and special articulations (with bonus key click patch)
Reverse patches & keyswitch equipped multi patches for easy toggling
Two octave range of growl, cry, and squeak extended techniques (lower octave pitch shifted with darker timbre)

Three mic positions with included mix faders:
AKG C414 XLS (lower close)
Neumann U 87 Ai (upper close)
Audio-Technica AT825 (room)

3 dynamic layers sampled at 96khz

The Team:

Dani is a composer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who enjoys inventing strange sounds, which is exemplified in her clarinet performance on this project. She studied English and Music at Kenyon College, and enjoys blending her knowledge of storytelling and sound manipulation into an interdisciplinary compositional approach.
www.pianobook.co.uk/profile/danimartinez/

Owen Kaplan is a Maine-based sound designer and composer. He studied computer music and new media at Earlham College, and enjoys fusing the world of sound with other artistic mediums by means of technology and design.
www.pianobook.co.uk/profile/owenkaplan/

Gratitude for the New York Arts Project for bringing Sound / Music / Film focused interns/assistants to Brooklyn Based Multi-instrumental Composer, Songwriter and Sundance Fellow Christopher North. /www.pianobook.co.uk/profile/cnorth/

www.newyorkartsprogram.org

Interface

Reviews for Ululation Clarinet

  • Sound
  • Character
  • Playability
  • Inspiration
  • GUI

Leave a review to let others know what you thought of the instrument!

  • The most unique clarinet here.

    This incredible library is trully one of a kind. It features 3 basic patches that are based on different "articulations", along with their 3 "reversed" counterparts, that pretty much are the reversed samples. There are also multi-patches that feature both normal and reversed for a different effect, but unfortunately I get no sound from the second patch. It works if I do it manually though so that's ok.

    All of those patches include 3 different microphone that offer a slightly different tone that you can mix and match via the handy knobs.

    There is also a separate Key Clicks patch that you can load as an extra instrument along with another one, so it acts as a realistic and unique trigger for each sound. Super smart and very useful! This patch has 2 mics instead.

    It's just an incredible library with unique performances that you can't really find anywhere else.

    Alex Raptakis01 September 2022
  • Deep Dive Inside The Clarinet

    There is so much to play with in this instrument.
    Great recordings and lots of character in each note (lots of notes).
    I'd loved to have had some super staccato notes in there too.
    Great job

  • tons of character

    This is one of the sample packs that does one thing, and it does it soooooo well. Well recorded enough and just loads of character allow it to be a top line. And it can really punch you in the gut. I'd think the release could be longer and some controller for expression/volume would be super helpful although if you have a minimal knowledge around kontakt those are easy fixes.

    ryan weeksSamplist 05 August 2022